Self-powered planetary orbital wheel assemblies

ABSTRACT

Powered wheel assemblies and methods of manufacturing and operating such assemblies are provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit ofand priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/843,706, titled“SELF-POWERED PLANETARY ORBITAL WHEEL ASSEMBLIES,” and filed Sep. 2,2015, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/077,491, titled “POWERED WHEEL ASSEMBLIES,” filedNov. 10, 2014, and claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/045,368, titled “POWERED WHEELASSEMBLIES,” and filed Sep. 3, 2014. The contents of all of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the files or recordsof any patent office in which the disclosure is filed, e.g., the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

Certain marks referenced herein may be trademarks or registeredtrademarks of third parties. Use of these marks is solely for providingan enabling disclosure by way of example and is not to be construed aslimiting the scope of this invention to material associated with suchtrademarks.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to wheel assemblies. More specifically, thepresent disclosure relates to powered wheel assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Bicycle transportation provides an efficient and cost effective mode oftransportation, particularly within dense urban environments. However,some people desiring to commute from one location to other, for work,leisure, or other purposes, may be reluctant to do so in view of thephysical exasperation that might be experienced and the associateddiscomfort associated with physical exertion required to efficiently andeffectively traverse a desired route.

Some electric bicycles powered wheel assemblies have disadvantagesassociated with the requirement that electric power be provided to thebicycle via actuation at the sprocket of the bicycle. Such a requirementgenerally requires disassembly of the chain and sprocket assembly orcomplex integration within the sprocket and chain assembly.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide a powered wheel assemblyand methods of manufacturing and operating a powered wheel assembly.

In view of the foregoing, powered wheel embodiments disclosed hereinprovide a wheel that is significantly simplified, provides reducedfailure points and thereby greatly reduces production costs.Additionally the powered wheel embodiments disclosed herein allow theintegration of storage space useable to house personal items, as well asemergency and other items including, but not limited to, medical kits,electronics, communication devices, lights, blinkers, horns and bicycletools. The wheel disclosed can also be operated by a variety of userinterfaces including but not limited to traditional thumb and twistthrottle mechanisms as well as foot operated throttle mechanisms whichare often referred to as “Peddle Assist,” as well as being controlled byelectronic devices including mobile phones, tablets, computers, radiocontrollers and others, including any combination of these.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing conceptsand additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided suchconcepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being partof the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, allcombinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of thisdisclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subjectmatter disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of thesubject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily toscale; in some instances, various aspects of the subject matterdisclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings tofacilitate an understanding of different features. In the drawings, likereference characters generally refer to like features (e.g.,functionally similar and/or structurally similar elements).

FIGS. 1A, 1B, show a perspective view of an electrically powered bicyclewheel assembly partially opened, in accordance with example embodiments.FIGS. 1C-1H show perspective views of other example embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the partially opened electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 1 closed in accordance with exampleembodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the closed electrically powered bicyclewheel assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional front view of the electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-4.

FIG. 6A provides a cross sectional view of the closed electricallypowered bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-5.

FIG. 6B provides a cross sectional view of the powered bicycle wheelassembly of FIGS. 1A-5 without O-rings.

FIG. 7 A provides another cross sectional view of the closedelectrically powered bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-5 from adifferent angle.

FIGS. 7B and 7C illustrate the motor and drive roller of FIG. 7A removedfrom the powered bicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is partial cross section view of a hub assembly of the poweredwheel bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-7C sectioned at the axle of thepowered bicycle wheel assembly.

FIGS. 9A-9D show bicycles including a powered wheel assembly, inaccordance with example embodiments.

FIG. 10 shows an example embodiment of a roller 105 and rim 103 withcogs and groves.

FIG. 11 shows a view of a wheel rim 103 with an inner and outerstructure; connected to one another by one or more tensile members, asillustrated by the white areas in between the black areas of rim 103.

FIG. 12 shows an example user interface 128 for controlling the powerinput from the energy supply to one or more motors, in which the userinterface is mounted on a handle bar.

FIG. 13A shows an example wheel assembly with one drive roller 105 andtwo guide rollers 110, able to rotatably couple a rim. While FIG. 13B-Cshow a perspective view and a cross section view of an assembly with onedrive roller 105, one motor 108, two guide rollers 110, and a rim. FIG.13D shows such a wheel assembly mounted onto a bicycle.

FIG. 14 shows an example embodiment of a guide roller 110 with a shockabsorbing tensioner.

The features and advantages of the inventive concepts disclosed hereinwill become more apparent from the detailed description set forth belowwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Following below are more detailed descriptions of various conceptsrelated to, and embodiments of, inventive powered wheel assemblies. Itshould be appreciated that various concepts introduced above anddiscussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerousways, as the disclosed concepts are not limited to any particular mannerof implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applicationsare provided primarily for illustrative purposes.

FIGS. 1A and D3 show a perspective view of an electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly partially opened, in accordance with exampleembodiments. A powered wheel assembly 100 is generally composed of apair of parallel hub plates 101 positioned in a tire rim 103. The tirerim 103 includes a tire 102 positioned thereon. The tire 102 includes,but is not limited to, a pneumatic tire filled with a fluid or gas suchas air via a valve stem, or a solid tire made from either a soft or firmmaterial 104. FIGS. 1A-2 show an opened view of the powered wheelassembly 100 with one of the parallel hub plates 101 removed for viewingthe interior components of the powered wheel assembly 100. While the hubplate 101 is illustrated with a circular geometry, the hub plate 101 mayhave a variety of geometries in accordance with example embodiments,including, but not limited to a triangular geometry, a square geometry,a star shaped geometry, an unsymmetrical shape or other geometriescovering less than the entire interior area of the tire rim, with anynumber and shape of internal cut-outs 103. The hub plate 101 includes aplurality of components configured to transmit power to the tire 102 foractuation of the tire 102.

The hub plate 101 is configured to remain stationary with respect to thebicycle forks 114 and the bicycle frame 901 _(—) As discussed furtherherein the drive roller(s) 105 and the guide roller(s) 110 rotate withrespect to the hub plate 101 and the tire rim 103, but generally remainin the same position on the hub plate. The guide roller(s) could bereplaced by different guide mechanisms, for instance guides thatlaterally support the rim through friction on magnetic force. One ormore drive rollers 105 are configured to transmit torque from one ormore motors 108 to the tire rim 103 to cause rotation of the tire 102about the powered wheel axle 118. The motor 108 is controlled by acontroller 106. In example embodiments, the motor 108 includes, but isnot limited to, an electric brushed or brushless motor, such as a dualor single axial pancake shaped motor including but not limited to the36V250W Bafang SWXK5 front driving motor. The motor(s) 108 is mounted toat least one of the hub plates 101, which hub plate may include a shelffor supporting the motor(s) 108 between the two hub plates 101. Inexample embodiments, the hub plate 101 may include a motor aperturepermitting the motor 108 to extend through the hub plate. The aperturemay provide support to maintain the motor 108 in a fixed position withrespect to the hub plate 101.

The motor(s) 108 may be directly coupled to the drive roller(s) 105 orthe motor(s) 108 may be indirectly coupled to the drive roller(s), forexample via one or more belts, chains, or gears to impart rotation tothe drive roller(s) 105. Additionally, example embodiments may providethe motor 108 positioned within the drive roller 105 While theillustrated embodiments illustrates the powered wheel assembly 100 witha single motor 108 and a single drive roller 105, example embodimentsmay include a plurality of drive rollers and/or plurality of motors.

FIGS. 1C-1H show perspective views of possible other embodiments of thisinvention. In one embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 1C one roller 105 ismounted onto one or more hub plates 101, this roller can be powered byan embedded motor 108 and is configured to receive a rim. The one ormore hub plates 101 have a means, for mounting them to the vehicle. Suchmeans can have a center point hole 119, or a protrusion, or a pin tomount the one or more hub plates to a point on the vehicle, such as thefork of a bicycle, by means of a bolt and nut, or by means of a skewer,or a fastener, or any other friction based retaining device. The hubplate could also be welded or glued to the vehicle. The hub plate couldinclude the fork of a bicycle, and the fork can have a means formounting it to the vehicle. The means for mounting the hub plates, mayor may not contain a means for attaching the hub plate at a differentpoint, other than the center point, such means could be as simple as astrap attached to the one or more hub plates, or could be another holethat can be used with a bolt and a nut, or a hole that can be used witha screw, or hole that can be used with a strap. For instance FIG. 1Gshows a torque arm that can be attached to the vehicle at some place onthe arm. The hub plate could also be welded to the vehicle at anotherpoint.

FIGS. 1C-1F and FIG. 1H also show implementations of guide mechanisms110 using friction based guiding.

In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1E, the wheel assembly alsocontains a controller 106, and in yet another embodiment it alsocontains a source of energy 112, illustrated in FIG. 1D, such as one ormore batteries 112. In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1F thewheel assembly contains one or more controllers 106, as well as a sourceof energy, such as a battery 112.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 13, one or more of the rollers105 can be positioned essentially near the bottom of the wheel. As anexample, a drive roller 105 can be positioned slightly forward, whichwould help protect the rim from deformation as a consequence of impactswhen riding against the curb of a sidewalk. As another example a driveroller 105 can be positioned to protect the rim when riding into apothole. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 the motor 108 is laterallyaligned with the rim 103, which provides greater stability on a bicycleand unicycle. Additionally in this embodiment, the drive roller 105 andmotor 108 are positioned near the bottom of the wheel and are laterallyaligned with the wheel. A bicycle and a unicycle drive more safely andmore efficiently in such a configuration, than when the motor would bepositioned outside of the wheel plane. When drive roller and the wheelrim are laterally aligned, then the weight of the driver pushes theroller and the rim together, increasing transmission efficiency. A motorresiding outside of the wheel plane and positioned near the ground willlikely touch the ground at some point, creating a hazard for the driver.Also a design where the drive roller encompasses the motor allows usinga regular e-bike motor. It is worthwhile noting, that one benefit ofsome of the embodiments presented in this application is the largerdimensional tolerance of the rim, compared to conventional wheels,without compromising the riding comfort at all. Indeed, the shape of thewheel rim does not determine the distance between the road and therider's seat, which is determined by the one or more hub plates and theposition of one or more of the rollers with respect to the one or morehub plates. This makes that the wheel rim can be essentially circular,that is oval or egg shaped or some other imperfectly circular shape,without impacting riding comfort. This makes that production tolerancescan be less stringent and therefore can reduce the production cost ofthe wheel. The rim could also be a tread that is not at all circular andis more or less flexible.

The motor 108 is powered via one or more batteries 112 coupled to thehub plate 101. The battery 112 may include, but is not limited to, the36V 1 OAR Samsung Ii-ion Bottle battery. In another embodiment othertypes of energy supplies can be used in combination with the one or morebatteries, or such other types of energy supplies can replace the one ormore batteries altogether. An example of such other energy suppliescould be one or more fuel cells, or one or more solar cells. Such otherenergy supplies may or may not recharge the battery while the bicycle isin operation or standing still. The battery 112 is electrically coupledto the motor via one or more electrical contacts or cables coupled to orhoused within the hub plate 101. The battery may be removably coupled tothe hub plate 101 and may be environmentally sealed independent of thehub plate 101 or the hub plate 101 may include a housing configured toenvironmentally seal the battery. The motor 108 and/or the battery 112may be coupled to a controller configured to control the actuation ofthe motor 108. Such controlled actuation can be as simple as “on/off”regulation, or can be a regulation that gradually increases the powersupplied to the motor, or can be a regulation that enables “on/offbraking” or a gradually increased regenerative braking, or brakingthrough electric dissipation of currents generated by the one or moremotors, or any combination of possible regulations for operating thebicycle. In one embodiment, the controller provides a minimum motorcurrent that counteracts the resistance inherent in the assembly,thereby providing a more traditional peddling experience. The throttlemechanism may be mounted to the handle bars of a bicycle, as illustratedin FIGS. 12 the bike frame, the pedals in the case of a foot activated“pedal assist” mechanism, or an electronic device and connected to thecontroller 106 via a cable extending from the powered wheel assembly100, or by any wireless method.

The hub plate 101 includes guide rollers 110 configured to guide therotation of the rim 103 and tire 101 by contacting the rim 103 andmaintaining the alignment of the rim 103 with respect to the hub plates101. Other mechanisms can be used to guide the rim with respect to thehub plates, such as guides that use friction or guides that use magneticforce. For the purpose of this disclosure guide rollers should beinterpreted as rollers, or mechanisms with an equivalent function ofguiding the rim with respect to the hub plates. As discussed furtherherein, the guide roller(s) 110 and the drive roller(s) 105 may or maynot include a central channel to allow room for the passing valve stemin the case of pneumatic or inflatable tires, with contact areas toreceive the rim 103 therein and to engage the rim 103._ Specifically,the drive roller(s) 105 engages the rim 103 to both drive the rim 1 03and maintain alignment of the rim while the guide roller(s) 110 engagethe rim 103 only to maintain alignment of the rim 103. Accordingly, eachof the drive roller(s) 105 and the guide roller(s) 110 are configured torotate about their own central axle. This roller axle also acts as asupport strut extending from and coupling one hub plate 101 to the otherhub plate 101to provide a cross support bracing hub plates 101 laterallyto increase the stiffness of the powered wheel assembly and resistbending or warping. Additionally, the drive roller(s) 105 and guideroller(s) 110 may include an elastic core or may be made entirely orpartially out of a material with elastic properties such as rubber,urethane, plastic or other materials and combinations of composites.This elastic component 107 or 111 may be concentrically positioned andis configured to absorb an impact or vibrations transmitted to thebicycle tire 101 and subsequently to the drive roller(s) 105 or guideroller(s) 110 respectively, via the rim 103, for example when the tire101 rotates over an uneven surface or object.

As further demonstrated in FIG. 1, the powered wheel assembly 100 iscoupled to bicycle forks 114 extending from a head tube 115 of a bicycleas discussed further herein. The powered wheel assembly 100 has a meansfor mounting the assembly to the vehicle, for instance the bicycle forks114. Such means may include the powered wheel axle 118, which mayinclude one or more quick release couplings 113 configured to lock andunlock the powered wheel axle 118 from the bicycle forks 114.Additionally torque arms 120 may be included in the means for mountingthe assembly, to better redistribute the force along the bicycle forks104. Such torque arms 120, as shown in FIG. 10, as well as a device forattaching such torque arms to a vehicle, such as a strap, a screw, mayor may not be part of a means for mounting the wheel assembly to avehicle. Also, a quick release coupling 113, may or may not be part of ameans to mount the assembly to the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the partially opened electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 1. As further illustrated in FIG. 5 andFIG. 6A, the guide roller(s) 110 and the drive roller(s) 105 may includeguide roller O-rings 122 and drive roller O-rings 121_respectivelyconfigured to promote contact between the tire rim 103 and the guiderollers 110 and the drive roller 105. Alternatively the guide roller(s)110 and/or drive roller(s) 105 may have the entirety of the contactpatch with tire rim 103 be constructed out of an alternative materialthat promotes friction power transmission including rubber, urethane orplastics. Additionally, the guide roller(s) 110 and/or drive roller(s)105 may contact the rim 103 with mechanical interference such as that ofinterlocked gears or sprockets and chains. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.6A2 and illustrated further herein, the guide wheel O-rings 122 anddrive roller O-rings 121_are positioned about a plurality of graduatedgrooves disposed in the channels of each of the guide rollers 110 andthe drive roller 105. The channel in the guide rollers 110 and the driveroller 105 may be shaped to permit the valve stem 104 of the tire 102 topass therethrough during rotation of the rim 103. As an example the oneor more rollers and one ore more guide mechanisms may have a profileshape that is either shaped convex, or concave. For instance essentiallyU-shaped, V-shaped, W-shaped, or shaped in some other way, allowing fora good coupling of the one or more rollers with the rim. Such shape of aroller and a guide mechanism may also accommodate the pass through ofthe valve stem of an inflatable tire. FIG. 2 further illustratesimplementation of a brake 116 which may be implemented in connectionwith example embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 1 closed in accordance with exampleembodiments. In accordance with example embodiments, the hub plate 101may be configured to house other components in accordance with exampleembodiments. For example, an electrical outlet may be positioned in thehub plate 101, which outlet may be provided with an electrical powersupply accessible from operation of the wheel as an electricalgenerator. The hub plate 101 may also contain strategically positionedtrough-holes also referred to as speed holes that will reduce the weightof the assembly, provide ventilation and cooling and facilitate a uniquevisual style. Additionally because various embodiments disclosed hereinimplement a brushed or Brushless DC motor capable of charging a batteryconnected to the powered wheel assembly 100, this allows the poweredwheel assembly 100 to advantageously function as an electrical generatorto power electrical accessories and to increase the range of travel of abicycle equipped with the wheel. The outlets for the power supply may beintegrated into the wheel or may be accessed via handlebar-mountedcontrols to allow charging during riding. Additionally, the electricalconnectivity provided by particular embodiments of the powered wheelassembly disclosed herein advantageously allow the wheel to integratedevices and sensors to connect to mobile devices and/or the internetallowing the wheel to contain and broadcast key information aboutlocation, operating parameters, security, and other information ofinterest that may be used uniquely to gamify, safeguard, and otherwiseenhance the cycling experience

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the closed electrically powered bicyclewheel assembly of FIG. 3. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows the powered wheelassembly with hub plates 101 coupled to one another to house the guiderollers 110, the battery 112, the driver roller 105, and the motorcontroller 106 therein. The hub plates 101 may be coupled to the guideroller support strut 117 the drive roller support strut 109 the poweredwheel's central axle and any number of other support struts. One or morefasteners, such as a screw, may extend through the hub plate 101 andinto the axles or support struts 117 and 109 to removably couple the hubplates 101 thereto. The hub plates 101 include a brake aperture 130configured to allow the brake pad of brake 116 to contact the rim 103 topermit standard braking implementation. Because the hub plates 101remain stationary when the tire 102 rotates the brake aperture 130 alsoremains stationary so that braking is not impacted by implementation ofthe powered wheel assembly 100. Accordingly, the powered wheel assemblymay be implemented with any standard bicycle, via simply swapping thefront wheel out without complex implementation and without impacting thestandard drive mechanism of a bicycle, permitting implementation with abicycle having a single gear or a complex multi-gearing mechanism. Inexample embodiments, the powered wheel assembly 100 may be configuredfor electronic braking by reverse operation of the driver roller 105 toresist or reverse rotation of the tire rim 103 and the tire 102, addingresistance to the motor and of reversing the rotation on the motor mayalso be used to regenerate battery 112. As further demonstrated in FIGS.3 and 4, the hub plate 101 may include a battery aperture 131 configuredto allow a battery that is wider than the width of the coupled hubplates to be positioned therein without interference with operation ofthe powered wheel assembly 100 or other bicycle components such as forks114. However, as discussed herein, the powered wheel assembly 100 may beimplemented with a battery housed completely within the hub plates 101.

FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional front view of the electrically poweredbicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-4. FIG. 5 shows the powered wheelassembly 100 with the tire 102 removed from the tire rim 103. Thepowered wheel assembly 100 is sectioned at one of the guide rollers 110.Accordingly, the internal components of the guide roller 110 arevisible. As illustrated the guide roller support strut 117 couples andlaterally separates the hub plates 101. The axle screws 151 removablycouple the hub plates 101 to the guide roller support strut 117. Theguide roller support strut 117 acts as an axle for the guide roller 110via bearing 152 that permit the guide roller 110 to rotate about theguide roller support strut 117. The guide wheel O-rings 122 positionedin the channel 125 in the graduated grooves of the channel 125 topromote contact of the guide roller 110 with the tire rim 103. Asdemonstrated in FIG. 5 the guide roller elastic core 111 extends aboutthe guide roller support strut 117 and across the guide roller 110.

FIG. 6A provides a cross sectional view of the closed electricallypowered bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-5. In FIG. 6A the poweredwheel assembly 100 is illustrated removed from the bicycle fork 114 andincluding the tire 102 coupled to the rim 103.

In FIG. 6B the powered wheel assembly 100 is illustrated removed fromthe bicycle fork 114 and including the tire 102 coupled to the rim 103,but has the guide wheel O-rings 122 removed from the graduated groovesin the guide wheel channel 125. As demonstrated in FIG. 7A the driveroller 105 engages the rim 103 in a drive roller channel 127 tofrictionally transmit rotation caused by the motor 108 to the rim 103and thereby cause the rim 103 and the tire 102 to rotate about the hubplates 101 and about the powered wheel axle 118.

FIG. 7 A provides another cross sectional view of the closedelectrically powered bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-5 from adifferent angle. More specifically, FIG. 7 shows the powered wheelassembly 100 cross sectioned through the drive roller 105 and the motor108. FIGS. 7B and 7C illustrate the motor and drive roller of FIG. 7Aremoved from the powered bicycle wheel assembly of FIG. 7A. Asdemonstrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C, in example embodiments, the motor 108is positioned within the drive roller 105, such that the drive roller105 rotates about the motor 108. The drive roller 105 is reinforced bydrive roller supports 171. The motor may be coupled to the drive rollervia a transmission, for instance an internal, gear based transmission,or a belt transmission, as shown in FIG. 1H. FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C alsoillustrate an embodiment where drive roller 105 and guide roller 110have a central channel that allows passage of a valve stem. The driveand guide roller may or may not have such central channel, depending onthe embodiment. Other shaped drive rollers can be used in differentembodiments. In an embodiment the tire 102 is a solid tire and no airvalve is included. In another embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 11, therim has an inner and outer structure, connected to one another with oneor more tensile members, as illustrated by the white and black areas ofrim 103.

In an embodiment the drive roller and rim have groves and cogs, whichcan grip onto groves and cogs of a rim 103. FIGS. 7 and 10 illustratedifferent embodiments of rotatably coupled rollers and rims. In thisapplication we use the term roller for a component that rotatablycouples with another component.

FIG. 8 is partial cross section view of a hub assembly of the poweredwheel bicycle wheel assembly of FIGS. 1A-7 sectioned at the axle of thepowered bicycle wheel assembly. As shown in FIG. 8, the powered wheelaxle 118 may include one or more bushings 181 positioned between the hubplates 101 and the forks 114. The powered wheel axle 118 is coupled tothe bicycle forks 114 via one or more fasteners 182 and/or quick releasecoupling 113.

FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate a bicycle 901 including a powered wheel assembly900 coupled to the front of the bicycle at the forks 914 of the bicycle901. The powered wheel assembly 900 includes a power pulley or driveroller 905, housed in a hub 901. The powered wheel assembly 900 furtherhouses a battery 912, a guide roller(s) 910 (functioning in a mannersimilar to an idler pulley), a controller 904, a battery charger 902 anda sensor and connectivity device 903, housed in the hub 901. Inparticular embodiments, the controller 904 may be programmable andconfigured to automate control of the drive roller 905 based on variousoperating conditions of the bicycle. In particular embodiments, thepowered wheel assembly 900 is configured for integration of otherdevices and sensors configured to connect the wheel assembly 900 to amobile device and/or the internet to transmit and/or broadcast dataincluding, but not limited to, performance information, energy use orgeneration information, information about location, operatingparameters, security, etc. . . which information may be used to gamify,safeguard, and otherwise enhance a cycling experience.

FIG. 10 shows an example embodiment where a driver roller 105 and rim103 rotatably couple using cogs and groves.

FIG. 11 shows an example rim 104 consisting of an inner and outerstructure connected with tensile members as illustrated by the white anddark areas of rim 103.

FIG. 12 shows a wheel assembly including a throttle control 128 that canbe mounted on a handle bar. Many other types of controls can beenvisioned, such as, but not limited to: a graphic user interface on amobile device such as a cell phone, a “peddle assist” throttle, a footenabled throttle etc.

FIG. 13A shows an example wheel assembly with one drive roller and twoguide rollers. The drive roller is mounted near the bottom of the wheelassembly, which is near the point where a rim and tire would touch theground when the assembly is mounted to a vehicle. FIG. 13B, shows aperspective view of an example wheel assembly with one drive roller, twoguide rollers, a shock absorbing tensioner and a rim. FIG. 13C shows across section view of this assembly, and FIG. 13D shows a view of abicycle equipped with this example wheel assembly.

FIG. 14 shows an example guide roller with a shock absorbing tensioner.Such a shock absorber is useful when the wheel rim hits a road obstacle,such as a curb, or unevenness. The wheel rim can move back and forth,and the absorber will make sure that the wheel rim and guide rollerremain in contact with one another, as the yoke 123 and spring loadedtensioner arms 124 and 126 pivot around their pivot points 132, 133.

Although systems and methods of the present disclosure are generallydescribed above in connection with an application to a bicycle wheel,these systems and methods may be used in a variety of differentapplications, including but not limited to wheel chairs, personalmobility devices (including Segway, Taurus, WHILL, and many others),motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, automobiles, and any other poweredvehicles advantageously combining a powertrain, motor, and wheel. In aparticular embodiment, a vehicle is provided that includes 4 poweredwheels assemblies mounted in a rectangular formation. Because thevehicle includes 4 powered wheel assemblies in accordance with exampleembodiments disclosed herein, the vehicle precludes the need forpowertrain components in the middle of the vehicle thereby providing aplatform for a foldable car stowable in extremely compact spaces whilestill providing the stability, safety, and environmental protectionafforded by cars.

As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony withthe common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art towhich the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should beunderstood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure thatthese terms are intended to allow a description of certain featuresdescribed without restricting the scope of these features to the precisenumerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should beinterpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequentialmodifications or alterations of the subject matter described and areconsidered to be within the scope of the disclosure.

For the purpose of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the joiningof two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining maybe stationary or moveable in nature. Such joining may be achieved withthe two members or the two members and any additional intermediatemembers being integrally formed as a single unitary body with oneanother or with the two members or the two members and any additionalintermediate members being attached to one another. Such joining may bepermanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature.

For the purpose of this disclosure the term guide roller refers to aroller or an equivalent guide mechanism that can guide a rim withrespect to the hub plates. Examples of such other guiding mechanisms canbe guides that use magnetic forces, or guides that simply use friction,or rollers that are mounted differently than shown in the figures, or aset of bearings that can guide the rim etc. Guide rollers and guidemechanisms can rotatably or moveably couple with a rim.

For the purpose of this disclosure the term “rim” can refer to astructure with variable degrees of stiffness, from a tread orcaterpillar to a more rigid, classical rim, as present in a regularwheel of a bicycle or other vehicle. The axis of rotation of a rim is avirtual point, which can for instance coincide with the center ofgravity of the rim. For a perfectly circular rim the axis of rotationcan be defined the center point of the circle. For a tread orimperfectly circular rim the axis of rotation can be defined as thecenter of gravity of the tread or rim. The axis of rotation of a rollercan coincide with the center of gravity that roller. In exampleembodiments of this invention the axis of rotation of the rim and theaxis of rotation of at least one of the rollers are not substantiallycoinciding; for instance when a roller is in direct contact with therim, moveably or rotatably coupled, and the roller has a smallerdiameter than the rim.

It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differaccording to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations areintended to be encompassed by the present disclosure. It is recognizedthat features of the disclosed embodiments can be incorporated intoother disclosed embodiments.

It is important to note that the constructions and arrangements ofapparatuses or the components thereof as shown in the various exemplaryembodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments havebeen described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the artwho review this disclosure will readily appreciate that manymodifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values ofparameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwisevaried, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions maybe altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process or methodsteps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternativeembodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissionsmay also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement ofthe various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustratedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision avariety of other mechanisms and/or structures for performing thefunction and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of theadvantages described herein, and each of such variations and/ormodifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventiveembodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that, unless otherwise noted, any parameters,dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant tobe exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials,and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application orapplications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no morethan routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventiveembodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood thatthe foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that,within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto,inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosureare directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit,and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two ormore such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods,if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods arenot mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of thepresent disclosure.

Also, the technology described herein may be embodied as a method, ofwhich at least one example has been provided. The acts performed as partof the method may be ordered in any suitable way unless otherwisespecifically noted. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in whichacts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which mayinclude performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown assequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” As used herein inthe specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to havethe same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, whenseparating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted asbeing inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also includingmore than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally,additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary,such as “only one of” or “exactly one of” will refer to the inclusion ofexactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, theterm “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicatingexclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) whenpreceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only oneof,” or “exactly one of ”

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from anyone or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the specification above, all transitional phrases such as“comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,”“involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understoodto be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to.

It should be understood that various changes in form and detail may bemade by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Conclusion, Ramifications and Scope

The reader will see that embodiments of this disclosure are beneficialin many ways, including, but not limited to: (a) reversibly convertinglegacy bicycles to electrically motorized bicycles in a very easy andinexpensive way, (b) using the stationary inside space of the wheel rimas productive space for mounting different components, includingenergy/power supplies, controllers, motors, rollers, suspension devices,storage spaces, communication and Internet of Things Connectivitydevices, electronics, tools, and safety elements, such as lights, hornsetc. (c) enabling inexpensive wheel manufacturing techniques, using offthe shelf components, and less strict tolerances, while maintainingrider's comfort.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wheel assembly configured to couple to a rimhaving a first axis of rotation, the wheel assembly comprising: a driveassembly including a drive mechanism and a motor located within thedrive mechanism, the motor configured to provide power to the drivemechanism with the drive mechanism coupled to the rim, wherein the driveassembly includes an axle having a fixed rotational position andproviding a second axis of rotation about which the drive mechanism andthe motor rotate.
 2. The wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein the drivemechanism includes a surface configured to engage the rim.
 3. The wheelassembly of claim 2, wherein the surface includes a mechanical interfaceselected from a group consisting of gears and teeth.
 4. The wheelassembly of claim 2, wherein the surface includes a substantially smoothsurface configured to engage the rim using friction.
 5. The wheelassembly of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism is rotatably coupled tothe rim.
 6. The wheel assembly of claim 5, wherein the first axis ofrotation and the second axis of rotation are different axes of rotation.7. The wheel assembly of claim 6, wherein the first axis of rotation andthe second axis of rotation are substantially parallel.
 8. The wheelassembly of claim 7, wherein the drive assembly includes a transmissionconfigured to couple the drive mechanism to the motor.
 9. The wheelassembly of claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism includes a roller. 10.The wheel assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one hub plateincluding at least one arm including a distal end, the at least one hubplate configured to couple to the drive assembly, wherein the driveassembly is located at the distal end of the at least one arm.
 11. Thewheel assembly of claim 10, further comprising at least one guidemechanism coupled to the at least one hub plate, wherein the at leastone arm includes a plurality of arms including a first arm having thedistal end at which the drive assembly is located, wherein the pluralityof arms includes a second arm having a distal end, and wherein the atleast one guide mechanism is located at the distal end of the secondarm.
 12. The wheel assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electronicapparatus including at least one sensor and a communication system, theelectronic apparatus configured to communicate performance dataconcerning an operation of the wheel assembly to a device remote fromboth the wheel assembly and the rim.
 13. A wheel assembly configured tocouple to a rim having a first axis of rotation, the wheel assemblycomprising: a drive mechanism including a first rotating drive elementand a second rotating drive element coupled to the first rotatingelement, the second rotating drive element having a second axis ofrotation and configured to couple to the rim; and a motor located withinthe first rotating drive element, the motor configured to provide powerto rotate each of the first rotating drive element and the secondrotating drive element with the second rotating drive element coupled tothe rim, wherein the motor and the first rotating drive element rotateabout a third axis of rotation provided by an axle having a fixedrotational position, the third axis of rotation different than thesecond axis of rotation.
 14. The wheel assembly of claim 13, wherein therim rotates at a first rotational speed with the second rotating driveelement rotatably coupled to the rim, wherein the motor rotates at asecond rotational speed with the second rotating drive element rotatablycoupled to the rim, and wherein the first rotational speed and thesecond rotational speed are different rotational speeds.
 15. The wheelassembly of claim 14, wherein the drive mechanism includes atransmission configured to couple the second rotating drive element tothe motor.
 16. The wheel assembly of claim 15, wherein the transmissionincludes a belt transmission.
 17. The wheel assembly of claim 13,wherein the first axis and the third axis are a common axis of rotation.18. The wheel assembly of claim 13, wherein the first axis and thesecond axis are different axes of rotation.